Dorothea Keeling oral history interview transcript

Boston (Mass.). Art Commission · October 18, 2018

Transcript of an interview with Boston resident and activist Dorothea Keeling. The interview was part of the We are Boston: Stories of Hope, Struggle, and Resilience oral history project created in 2018 by poet and Boston artist-in-residence Daniel Johnson. Mrs. Keeling speaks about growing up in Lynn, MA; the importance of family and community volunteerism; discrimination and racism she experienced growing up and as an adult in Boston; her education at Framinghan State University and Cambridge college; and her impressive work as an activist for criminal justice and advocate for others. Keeling served as a union steward; participated in sit-ins and protests; created a program for HIV education while she was Director of Women’s Health & Learning at Massachusetts Correctional Institution, Framingham, MA; and currently volunteers with Roslindale is for Everyone (RISE), a group advocating for inmates and former inmates; Elders of Color: Flashback Sunday, a social group for older members of the LGBTQ community; and LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc., an advocacy group providing housing for LGBTQ elders.